Chinatown Soon To Be Pond Free

On April 5, State Senator Daniel Squadron will join the NYC Department ofTransportationat 10 AM to officially break ground and begin repair of road-curb pondingconditionsin Chinatown. The repairs will include milling and resurfacing large stretches of Mulberry and Baxter Streets, and filling potholes throughout Chinatown in order to remove and prevent "ponding" which is "the unwanted pooling of water".

Senator Squadron first brought this issue to light in a Sept. 2011 report. The report, which monitored the frequency and location of ponding, also surveyed hundreds of local residents, business owners, and visitors. The majority of respondents said ponding has a negative impact on their eating and shopping experience. Over 60 percent of respondents rated the quality of the streets as below average to poor. The report also found that these unwanted pools of water, which have been especially prevalent in Chinatown, especially problematic after a rainfall. Last summer, Squadron discovered that there were 93 unique ponds that hadn't been drained within 48 hours.

Unfortunately three quarters of respondents who have observed ponding have not reported it, and 58 percent did not know who to contact or that reporting the problem was even an option.

For their part, the DOT has already begun work milling and resurfacing streets to repair a number of potholes that exacerbate the problem. The streets affected include Mulberry St.betw. Worth and Bleecker Sts., as well as Baxter St.betw. Worth and Grand Sts. This is in addition to the DOT filling in existing potholes and filling in individual ponds throughout the neighborhood.

"Six months ago we called on DOT to address ponding, and, today, they've listened to the community and turned my report into real action. This is an example of the power of community collaboration with government," said Senator Squadron. "I will continue to work with the community, DOT, and the City to ensure that ponding is reported, addressed, and eliminated, so that it no longer drains Chinatown's economy and quality of life."